


stars walk backwards

by siojo



Series: Younger Luffy AU [12]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Lampoon, M/M, Mentioned Others - Freeform, which isn't a tag?, worried Ace, worry/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:30:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9915515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siojo/pseuds/siojo
Summary: Marco knows that Ace will take the blame to anything given enough time and correlation to it. Which is why he will spend forever convincing him that he's not to blame for this, no matter how much he thinks he is.





	

“You seem worried,” Marco says finally, leaning back against the mast after covering the final cut on Ace’s face with a bandage. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I’m worried about Luffy. I’m actively being hunted down and Lu is just as good a target for the Marines to go after,” Ace says finally, not looking at Marco. “And what if Luffy’s safer without us? Gramps would take him, but is that really the best thing?”

 

Marco hums, “You brought Luffy with you because it was better for him to be with you with all the risks that come with piracy rather than back on your home island.”

 

“Except now Gramps knows where we are. I spent two years hiding that I joined the Whitebeard Pirates to keep him from finding us and demanding Luffy back from me. What if he decides to take him back now? I mean he didn’t when we were in Louge Town, but he could.”

 

“I’m not going to let him take Luffy,” Marco promises, “Luffy won’t leave us unless we take him to a babysitter. Your grandfather isn’t going to take him.”

 

Ace glances at Marco, “I know you won’t let that happen any more than I will, but there’s so much more going on now. I just announced who my father was to the world,” Ace hisses. “I-I.”

 

“Look at me. No one is going to hurt Luffy as long as he is with us, with Rayleigh, or on Pops’ ship. He’s going to be safe and we'll make sure of that, I swear. No one will take him away unless they can get through all of us, understand?”

 

“Words hurt too, Marco. I know what people think of me, what they’re going to start calling me. I’m the monster that they’ve been scared existed since they executed that man, they hate me. What happens the first time that someone decides to call Luffy a monster? What if they hate him because of me?”

 

Marco frowns, “It’s hard to protect anyone from words, love. I know that we can’t keep him from hearing some of it, but we can handle it better than it was for you. It’s all we can do.”

 

“I just wish we didn’t have to worry about him hearing people say he shouldn’t have been born.”

 

“I’m so glad you were both born,” Marco says cupping Ace’s cheek. “I’m glad that you’re mine and that Luffy is ours. I’m glad that you’re both here with me or will be when we get to Crocus’ lighthouse. They don’t matter because they don’t know you. You’re amazing and so is Luffy. Their opinion doesn’t matter because everyone that knows you cares about you.”

 

Ace snorts, “I’m happy to be here with you too. You dork.”

 

“Good, I love you and Luffy. We’ll keep him as safe as we can and I won’t let anything happen to either of you, alright?”

 

“Are you always this cheesy,” Ace demands. “I mean, we’ve been together for a while, but I’m not sure that I remember you being this cheesy.’

 

Marco raises an eyebrow, “Are you calling me cheesy? I was stating a fact and trying to make you feel better, but you decided to make this into a joke?” He pauses. “Ace, I wasn’t kidding. We can do this and we’re going to be alright.”

 

“Thanks,” Ace whispers scooting closer to hide his face against Marco’s shoulder. “For all of it. I know I’m worried and being irrational.”

 

“There’s nothing irrational about being worried. Not when you’re one of the most wanted men on the sea. Not when Luffy is connected to you and also the son of the most wanted man in the world, you have every right to be worried but remember you have me to help. You have me and our family and all the friends that your mother made.”

 

Ace snorts, laughing wetly, “I swear if mom has any more friends hiding out there waiting to help me that I’m going to start demanding to know how they met her. I think I deserve stories about her and Aunt Rose if they are going to show up now.”

 

“Your mom did seem to be a friendly person, didn’t she? I’m sure if you ask any of them will be willing to tell you more stories that you could hope to keep straight.”

 

“Thanks,” Ace whispers. “For doing this every time I start panicking.”

 

“I’m not going to sit around and do nothing when you panic, Ace. Don’t be stupid.”

 

“I’m not stupid.”

 

“Could have fooled me,” Marco teases. “You are a little stupid, keep forgetting that you’ve got people who care about you and are willing to help you. We’re going to get through this, I promise.”

 

“You promise?”

 

“I did just say that.”

 

Ace shakes his head, “Okay, fine. You promise. We’ll be fine and in the end, the Marines are just, what, going to give up on taking me down?”

 

“We’ll figure it out when we reach that point. For now, let’s focus on one thing at a time, deal?”

 

“Deal.”

 

“Good,” Marco says kissing Ace’s temple. “Come on, it’s late and you need sleep. Don’t think I haven’t noticed all the nightmares that have been waking you up.”

 

“I haven’t-,” Ace starts.

 

Marco snorts, “Your narcolepsy is acting up and you’ve been falling asleep randomly more that usual. That only happens when you’re not sleeping enough. You aren’t fooling anyone. Come on, we should be close to picking up Luffy tomorrow and do you want to worry him more than he was when Rayleigh picked him and Zoro up?”

 

“I hate when you make sense,” Ace mutters forcing himself upright. “You do it far too often.”

 

“I know, I’m the absolute worse,” Marco agrees. “Come on.”

 

“Fine, but this is under protest.” 

 

Marco grins, “Protest, huh? I thought you liked going to bed with me.”

 

“I hate you,” Ace says pouting. “Must you do this to me?”

 

“You’re happier now than you were before and if me making horrible jokes about getting you into bed helps then I will make as many horrible jokes as I can possibly make. Besides, I could have decided to use puns, which do  you prefer?”

 

Ace snorts, “I’m asking for a divorce.”

 

“We aren’t exactly married,” Marco counters letting Ace lean against him as they made their way to their room. “I don’t think you can ask for a divorce.”

 

“We might as well be married, which means that I can totally divorce you. Our family will agree with me because I’m right.”

 

“If you think so, love. Come on, into bed and go to sleep.”

 

“Still under protest,” Ace mutters kicking off his shoes and dropping his hat onto the bedside table before dropping onto the bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 

Marco snorts, sitting on the edge of the bed and carefully undoing the braid holding the tattered remains of the flower that Ace had insisted on wearing up onto the execution platform and setting it down on top of Ace’s hat, “You are still wearing your belt and the pouch on your leg.” Ace snored in response. “Yeah, I thought that was what you would say.”

  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luffy took off running the moment that the Mini Moby docked, throwing himself at Ace before he had a chance to step off the ramp onto the land surrounding the lighthouse, making him stumble back slightly into Marco.

 

“Ace!” Luffy shouts, grinning up at him with bright eyes. “You’re back!”

 

“That’s right,” Ace says hugging him back. “I’m back. I even managed to convince Marco to come back with me.”

 

Luffy grins as he looks past Ace to Marco, “Welcome back, Marco!”

 

“I’m back,” Marco agrees, ruffling Luffy’s hair. “Did you have fun with Zoro and the old guys?”

 

“They’re really old,” Luffy says giddily. “Just like you!”

 

Marco laughs as he steals Luffy from Ace, “I’m old? You think I’m old?”

 

“Super old, Uncle Ray says that you use to fight with the Pirate King, but you don’t look as old as Uncle Ray, are you magic?”

 

“We’ve been over this before,” Marco says signaling Ace to go on ahead. “I’m a Phoenix, that means that I’m immortal. It’ll be centuries before I look anywhere near as old as Rayleigh.”

 

“But if you live that long, won’t you miss everybody?”

 

Ace bit his lip, hurrying ahead to where Rayleigh was waiting. It wasn’t something that they talked about much, Marco’s immortality, and it was easier to ignore it than it was to talk about it. Marco had insinuated that he would probably die before he could live forever, but the way it had been worded had seemed strange. After all, Marco had said that forever would get boring at some point.

 

“You made it out of Louge Town alright, I see,” Rayleigh states as Crocus points to a chair, his bag already sitting beside it. “The video cut out around the same time that you were attacked by smoke.”

 

“Smoker,” Ace says taking a seat before Crocus could force him to sit down. “He’s a marine, he launched the attack pretty much as soon as I finished the announcement and the shock finally settled in.”

 

“He got a good hit in,” Crocus scowls yanking a bandage off of Ace’s cheek.

 

“That was seastone bullets, actually,” Ace admits sheepishly. “Gramps was there, apparently to do something with the Marines there, his guys had seastone. Not that Gramps helped them much, Dragon was there.”

 

Rayleigh raises an eyebrow, “As in Luffy’s dad, Dragon?”

 

“Yeah, Gramps used him as an excuse not to fight Marco and I. Sabo said that their fight devolved into “I sent my son to you so he would be safe!” and “Well if you weren’t the most wanted man in the world, maybe he would have been!” I hear that a lot of marines got distracted, helped us escape.”

 

“Why would Dragon be there?”

 

“Sabo disobeyed a direct order,” Ace answers, hissing as he jerks back from Crocus’ hand. “That hurt!”

 

“Good, you were the one that let yourself get hurt,” Crocus states frowning at him. “I gave Luffy and his friend check-ups when they arrived. The kid’s at a better weight than he was the first time you came through here, keep feeding him like you have been. The swordsman is healthy enough.”

 

“Thanks, Ana’s been worried about keeping him at a good weight with his metabolism. I’m glad it’s been working.”

 

“Hm, we’ll decide that after I check yours.”

 

“Sabo disobeyed a direct order?” Rayleigh asks.

 

“Not to get involved with Roger’s son,” Ace answers frowning. “Apparently Dragon wants to avoid getting involved with me at this time, no matter that I’m also his nephew. You would think he cared more about his family.”

 

Rayleigh shrugs, “Might have something to Rose dying, I remember he was fairly broken up about it, at least according to Shakky’s contacts.”

 

“Don’t care, he sent Luffy away as a baby. Gramps got Luffy when he was seven months old and Aunt Rose died not too long before that, he didn’t even try,” Ace takes a deep breath trying to reign in his temper. “Anyway, Sabo is in trouble with Dragon and we got out of there without breaking everything,” Ace pauses. “At least, I don’t think we broke the execution platform.”

 

“That would be the one thing that survived you lot,” Rayleigh sighs. “I’m glad you all made it out safely.”

 

“Not safely,” Crocus mutters. “You’re scratched up but nothing too bad. Where’s the rest of your idiots? Not your bird idiot, he heals himself, the other two.”

 

Ace can hear the noise that Marco makes in protest as Luffy laughs at him, which is what Marco gets for eavesdropping on them, “On the ship. Want me to get them for you?”

 

“No, we’re not done yet. Still got to get your normal check up and then we’ll go from there.”

 

“You’ve been poking and prodding me, isn’t this enough?”

 

Crocus frowns, “I see you once a year if I’m lucky, you are getting a full check up and you’re going to take my notes back to your usual doctor or I will take you home myself and leave Rayleigh to babysit Lampoon.”

 

“Please don’t,” Rayleigh says glancing over to Lampoon. “Lampoon and I aren’t friends.”

 

Lampoon sprays a jet of water at Rayleigh, ducking under the water when Rayleigh growls and takes a step towards the ledge, his eyes glinting darkly.

 

“He likes you as much as he likes most people,” Crocus says grinning. “Go get his idiots and figure out where the swordsman went, the kid will get upset if we lost his first mate.”

 

“You aren’t my captain,” Rayleigh mutters shaking himself off.

 

“But I am your doctor, so you best get moving before I change those pills you take for something with worse side effects.”

 

“Demon,” Rayleigh hisses hurrying off to the Mini Moby to drag Izo and Thatch out from its depths.

 

Ace stares after him for a moment, “You know, you’re probably the reason that little kids have nightmares about doctors.”

 

“I don’t treat kids except for you and that one,” He gestures to where Luffy has started talking with his hands waving excitedly to Marco. “Now I might have influenced other doctors to do the same, but that’s not my fault.”

 

“Ana thinks that you’re someone to idolize.”

 

Crocus laughs, “That’s her choice, but I did make the King cower in fear. I’m sure if I can do that, she can scare an Emperor into compliance.”

 

“If you think so, I’m going to tell her that you said so.”

  
  
  


 

 

 

 

“He hasn’t asked to be set down since we picked him up,” Marco says softly as Ace hums, rocking slightly as he paces the deck of the Mini Moby trying to make sure that Luffy stayed asleep. “Did something happen?”

 

“He’s worried,” Ace whispers as Luffy mumbles and tries to hide his face. “How many times have we been to Louge Town?”

 

“That was the third time, I think,” Marco answers.

 

Ace nods, “And the only time that we told Luffy that it was too dangerous for him to come with us. He’s worried. The broadcast caught the start of Smoker’s attack.”

 

“Which means that Luffy saw you get thrown into a wall,” Marco sighs. “He’ll be clingy for a while then.”

 

“He will.”

 

Marco rolls his eyes, catching Ace around the waist the next time he passed Marco’s seat on the railing, “I’m not going to be upset if Lu is clingy because he’s scared, Ace. He’s a kid, barely nine and if we have to comfort him then it’s fine.”

 

“Thank you,” Ace says grinning at him. “Crocus says that he’s been having nightmares and that he’s been trying not to wake them up at night with them. I’m hoping that with us back they’ll either calm down or he’ll start coming to us like he normally does.”

 

“You better sleep closer to the wall,” Marco says with a sigh, kissing Ace softly. “You’re the one that keeps waking up with nightmares of his own. If Luffy wakes me up, I don’t have to worry about the lack of sleep will affect me.”

 

“Unless I sense it first,” Ace counters.

 

Marco snorts, “That’s because you cheat by using haki to keep an eye on Luffy. Even if you didn’t know what it was.”

 

“You’re just jealous that I’ve been learning how to use it for years and you thought you would have to teach me how to use it,” Ace says yawning. “Jealous.”

 

“So jealous. Come on, bedtime for tired pirates. Is Luffy joining us or to his own room?”

 

“We should at least try to put him in his own room,” Ace answers. “He can join us if he wakes up later.”

 

Marco nods, “Shall we?”

 

“Come on, birdie, before you wake him up.”

 

“I have never woken him up, that is a horrible lie. It’s the other way around.”

 

Ace smothers a laugh as Marco slips ahead to open the door below deck, “A horrible lie?”

 

“The worst kind of lie,” Marco says honestly. “Don’t you remember how I met him? He jumped on me in my bed and woke me up.”

 

“I do recall something like that,” Ace states stopping before Luffy’s bedroom door and waiting for Marco to open it before slipping inside and getting Luffy into bed. “Maybe.”

 

Marco hums, leaning against the doorframe as Ace took his time tucking Luffy in after slipping off his shoes and hanging his hat from a bedpost, “Maybe? I remember Luffy was in trouble for wandering off on his own.”

 

“That I do remember,” Ace teases. “Sleep tight, Lu.”

 

“Come on, you’re just as tired as he is,” Marco says ushering Ace across the hall after he closed the door quietly. “Better now that he’s back on the ship with us?”

 

“A little,” Ace agrees finding his sleep pants in the dresser and changing. “It’s better because I know where he is and he’s safe just across the hall, but he’s still in just as much danger as he was with Crocus and Rayleigh. I’m not as strong as they are yet, I might not be able to protect him.”

 

“You have people to help you,” Marco promises. “You have me, the crew, and Pops. The marines will have to get through all of that before they can touch a hair on his head.”

 

Ace nods, “It’s still my fault. I wasn’t careful enough if I had taken more care then maybe-”

 

“I am going to do something drastic if you keep trying to blame yourself for this,” Marco warns him, stepping close and gently forcing Ace to look at him. “You can’t blame yourself for this, love. You can’t control the whole world and it’s never been your fault. If you want to blame someone, blame the marines. Blame Roger. Blame Teach. Don’t you dare blame yourself.”

 

“You think so?”

 

“I think you are the person least to blame for all of this. Unless you want to tell me that your existence itself is a crime?”

 

“I’m pretty sure that it is,” Ace says finally. “I mean, at least the government seems to think it is.”

 

Marco shakes his head, “I’m fairly sure we’ve had this talk before. Even if no one else is glad you exist, Luffy and I both think that the world is better for having you,” He grins. “Sleep.”

 

“Fine,” Ace yawns, crawling under the covers. “Marco?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“I love you, thanks.”

  
“I love you too.”


End file.
